Customer Reviews

5 out of 5

145 Ratings

Fantastic

DavePinSF, Mar 17, 2013

Since I got the first album as an instrumental (amazing album) I was looking for the interesting polyrhythms, melodic-metal compositions, sophisticated phrasing and amazing playing and initially found the vocals got in the way. After giving this new release a few listens, its become one of my favorites. I still can't stand the death metal screams and cringe every time Spencer does it, but his vocals are otherwise excellent and add to the tunes. Overall the songs are tight, intricate, interesting and melodic in a progressive metal way. There's some good variety here with superb playing, excellent production values and great prog metal grooves. One of my favorite bands of this genre along with Intervals, Animals as Leaders and Protest the Hero.

Periphery grows on you. Trust me.

AndrewLuck12Wayne87, Apr 12, 2013

The first time I heard them I couldn't stand the vocals from Spencer, but after a while it just grows on you. After being a huge fan of their Instrumental album (because of their extreme talents of the instruments) before their actual albums, I decided to give them another chance because I head their Metallica Cover of One and they have become one of my favorite bands, and I'm not even a big metal fan anymore. To top it all off, this album features Guthrie Govan and John Petrucci, two of my favorite guitarists. Pick this up and ignore the people who hate this band. These guys are the new Tool. Seriously.

About Periphery

Periphery started in 2005 as the recording project of guitarist and producer Misha Mansoor. Mansoor had already made a name for himself in the progressive metal community through his production abilities with his project Bulb. He created Periphery as an evolution of his earlier work, taking the music out of the studio and onto the road; he fleshed out the band with a lineup that included guitarists Alex Bois and Jake Bowen, bassist Tom Murphy, drummer Matt Halpern, and, after running through a few vocalists, singer Spencer Sotelo. With a sound that pushes at the boundaries of progressive metal, Periphery are at the forefront of the "djent" movement, utilizing detuned, extended range instruments to create a sound that’s as technically dizzying as it is heavy, joining in with the growing ranks of bands that are taking the framework laid down by bands like Meshuggah and running wild with it.

Periphery released their self-titled debut in 2010 on Sumerian, then quickly went out on the road, touring the U.S. and Canada, as well as making stops in Australia and the U.K. The following year, the band released their first EP, Icarus. Leading up to 2012's Periphery II: This Time It's Personal, Mark Holcomb replaced Bois on guitar and Adam Getgood replaced Murphy on bass. The album earned positive reviews from critics, and debuted just outside the Top 40 on the main Billboard albums chart. By 2015, the band had readied a double album for Sumerian. Comprising two halves, Juggernaut: Alpha and Juggernaut: Omega both appeared on the same day in January 2015, earning yet more positive reviews for the band and even higher chart placements, topping out at number 22 on Billboard. Although Juggernaut took six months to record, the group wasted no time reentering the studio to record the follow-up. The resulting full-length, Periphery III: Select Difficulty, appeared in July 2016. ~ Gregory Heaney